Improvement in stop-motions for elevators



HENRY E. BATHRICK.

Improvement in Stop Motion for Elevators. No. 125,256, PatentedApril2,1872.

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" %WMW w W TATES HENRY E. BATHRICK, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN STOP-MOTIONS FOR ELEVATORS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 125,2 56, dated April2, 1872.

To all persons to whom these presents shall come:

Be it known that I, HENRY E. BATHRIGK, of Boston, in the county ofSuffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Elevators, and that the followingdescription, taken inconnection with the accompanying plate of drawing, is a full andcomplete specification of the same.

This invention relates to elevators or hoist ing apparatus for raisingand lowering merchandise, &c., and more particularly to that class ofsuch elevators as raise and lower the platform by the winding andunwinding of a rope to which the platform is suspended, the platformbeing guided by fixed vertical guiderails. The object of the inventionis to provide means that will be automatic in operation,to arrest andhold the platform from falling in case the hoisting-rope should break,or other cause. Under this invention jaws for gripin g the guide-railsof the elevator-platform are depended upon, in cases of accident, tohold the platform from falling; and the invention consists ofgriping-jaws that are extended through vertical tapering openings (thesmaller ends being uppermost) of the carriage, and are so arranged attheir inner ends as to be free to play both in avertical and ahorizontal plane, in combination with the hoisting-rope, so connected tothe carriage and with reference to the inner ends of said jaws that froma breakage of the hoisting-rope, or a giving way of the tension thereonfrom any other cause, the part or parts forming the connection betweenthe hoisting-rope and carriage will then be so actuated as, with awedge-shaped construction thereof, to properly move the inner ends ofthe jaws to bring their griping-ends to bear on the guide-rails with afriction sufficient to hold such griping-ends back from the fall of thecarriage, causing them, as is obvions from the faster descent of thecarriage by the tapered openings aforesaid, through which the jaws areextended, their firm set against and gripe of the guide-rails; this setting of the jaws finally arresting the fall of the carriage.

In the accompanying plate of drawing my improvement in elevators isillustrated- Figure 1 being a view, mostly in elevation, but partiallyin vertical section, of an arrangement of parts according thereto 5Fig.2, a horizontal section in plane of line w w, Fig.1; Figs. 3 and 4,views in detail.

A in the drawing represents the carriage of an elevator, constructed inthe present instance of a platform, B, with upright posts 0, joined attheir upper ends by a cross-beam, D. E, guides fixed to carriage A bybolt-rods a and screw-nuts 1).. These guides E embrace fixed verticalguide-rails F, secured to the frame-work H, through which the carriageis shown as arranged to move. I, the jaws for gri pin g guide-rails F.Thesejaws, in the present instance, are four in number, and are in pairsover the top of the cross-beam D to carriage-a pair for each guiderailF. d, the griping-end of the jaws I, made with steel faceblocks, inposition to form the bearing of the jaws upon the guide-rails F, one oneach face, f, thereof. From the guide-rails F the jaws I extend towardthe vertical centerline of the elevator", passing through taperingvertical openings K, one for each pair of straps, L, fixed to thecarriage A. The jaws I, at their inner ends g, are hung, the two of eachpair, upon fixed horizontal pivots h of posts 'i, not only to be free toturn, but to move away from or toward each other. The tapered openings Khave their smaller end uppermost, and again st their vertical taperingfaces I the jaws I bear, said faces Z'being knife-edged to reducefriction between them and the jaws. M, the hoisting-rope of theelevator, secured to the eye 0 of a bolt or rod, P, arranged to playvertically through the central axis of cross-beam D to carriage. The rod1? is secure from escape by a nut, m, at its lower end, which nut alsofastens a bent spring, R, hearing by its free ends on the lower side ofcross-beam D. The roperod 1?, above the cross-beam D, is provided'withvertical wedge-shaped blocks a, in position to pass in between the innerends of each pair of jaws, I. The larger end of the wedges a isuppermost, and the wedges n are fixed upon the rope-rod with referenceto its length, to be within the inner ends of the jaws I when the rod isat its lowest position, from the action of the bent spring It thereon,and to be out of the jaws when, by tension on the hoisting-rope, theaction of spring R is overcome.

In the ordinary running of the elevatorthere is no action or effect fromthe jaws I and other parts above-described, the jaws I being free andloose from the guide-rails F, as, at such time, they are at the lowerportion. of the openings K, which is sufficiently large to prevent anybind on the jaws, and the wedges n of the rope-rod P are above them.Suppose, however, the hoisting-rope to break, or any other accident tooccur which would take off the tension on the hoisting-rope, then anoperation of the jaws F and other parts described above will occur asfollows: The spring R of roperod P will then instantly pull down the rodP, forcing its wedges a into and between the inner ends g ofjaws I,opening them at such ends from each other, which closes them, at

their steel-faced gri pin g-ends cl, upon the guiderails F withsufficient friction thereon to hold said griping-ends back from the fallof the earriage, which, consequently, then falling the faster, actsthrough the wedge-shaped or tapered openings K to firmly bind and setthejaws against the guide-rails F, producing finally, as is obvious, acomplete stop or arrest of thefall of the carriage. Reunite the brokenrope or repair whatever other cause may have operated to allow theelevator-carriage to fall,

and the gripe ot' jaws I on guide-rails F can be released withouttrouble or difliculty by simply getting tension on the hoisting-ropesufficient to overcome the spring R, and thus pulling up the-rod P. Itpasses, by its wedges u, out of the inner ends of-jaws, and sets themfree.

In lieu of four gripe-jaws only one may be used; but i'ourtwo for eachguide-rail-insures a perfect suspension of the carriage.

In lieu of one opening, K, for each pair of jaws, I, there may be onefor each jaw; the knife-edge bearing on the jaws by the openings K maybe dispensed with, but it is best to employ it, for the more thefriction between jaws and openings Kis reduced the less the friction ofthe jaws on guide-rails is offset, and, consequently,the more certainand quickly do they seize and bind the rails as desired. In lieu ofplacing the wedges n on rope-rod, they may be on the inside faces tojaws, at their inner ends. Also, other forms of springs may be used inplace of the bent spring It.

Having thus described my improvement in elevators, I shall state myclaim,'as follows:

WVhat 1 claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is

1. The combination of the gripingjaw I, an opening, K, and thehoisting-rope of an elevator-carriage, constructed and arranged foroperating together, substantially as described, for the purposespecified.

2. I also claim the knife-edge bearing between a jaw, I, and opening K,substantially as and for the purpose described.

The above specification of myimproved stopmotion for elevators signed byme this 17th day of January, 1872.

HENRY E. BATHRIGK.

Witnesses:

ALBERT W. BROWN, EDWIN W. BROWN.

